Our Own Device
by JadeDragonHawk
Summary: Kurogane was exhausted from walking for so long - surely he could even put up with this insane stranger if it meant a place to rest. A pity madness would be the least of his worries.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Tsubasa, nor do I own the song this story is based on.**

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><p>On a highway in the desert beneath a dark sky, a lone figure trudged along an empty road. In one hand he held his horse's reins, the beast too tired to carry him any longer. Slung across his shoulder was a bag that held all of his earthly possessions, except for the sword that hung at his hip. It was a long blade, the scabbard intricately carved, a silver dragon visible on the hilt. The man himself was tall and strongly built, with well defined muscles in his arms. His black hair was short and spiked up at the front, and his dirty clothes were tattered and worn from long use. The most defining feature about him were his eyes. They shone with a dull red gleam in the pale light of the half-moon, making him appear almost demonic.<p>

A cool wind swept up from the road and ruffled through his hair. His foot caught on a root and he stumbled, cursing as he hung onto his horse's reins to stay upright. When he raised his head once more, he was struck by a shimmering light that seemed to rise up in the distance. It glimmered before him, marking the horizon between sky and earth. The stars above him had been so bright before, but now they seemed to fade into the heavens, dimming in comparison to this new light. The man started to walk again, dragging his feet wearily over the hard, dry sand.

As he drew nearer, the light started to flicker. The man shook his heavy head, trying to clear his vision. Again the light flickered, and then it vanished completely. The man wondered if his sight was dimming, and continued to walk towards the place where it had been.

The outline of a tree appeared on the horizon in front of him. The man plodded slowly towards it. His feet dragged along the ground, and his horse's breathing was laboured. He knew he had to find a place to stop for the night soon, and if there were no buildings around after all, then a tree would do just as well. Any shelter was welcome in the desert. The place he was heading to was about a day's walk, but hopefully shorter if his horse recovered enough to ride.

The tree was a lot taller than he'd thought from a distance, and as its trunk rose above the road he could see someone leaning against it. This was so unusual it bordered on the fantastic, and the man shook his head once more, thinking it must be a trick of the light, or some odd formation of the tree. The silhouette wasn't moving, after all.

But shortly a hand detached itself from the tree trunk and waved to him. He was close enough now to make out vague notions of clothing and appearance. The stranger was a young man, slim and tall, although not as tall as he himself. Blond hair drifted over blue eyes that glimmered in the moon light, and the stranger wore a long black cloak that reached half way down his long, old fashioned boots. He smiled, tilting his head and closing his eyes, looking very out of place in the sandy desert.

"Hello, stranger. What's your name?"

The man stared at him suspiciously. "It's Kurogane. Who are you?"

"My name is Fai." The stranger noticed the katana, and added, "Oh, are you Japanese? A samurai?"

Kurogane huffed. "Yes, not that there's much use for it now a days, especially not here. What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"I've been waiting for you."

"Waiting for me?" Kurogane was quite frankly incredulous.

"Yes. You saw the light, didn't you?" Fai pushed himself upright off the tree trunk and took a few steps forward. "Oh, the Japanese have funny pet names, don't they? I heard that from a friend. Will you tell me some?"

"I did see a light," Kurogane admitted, prudently ignoring the question, "but it disappeared. What was it?"

"It was this, of course!" He gestured behind him with a sweep of his hand. Kurogane looked but saw nothing except desert. The blond continued. "I'm sure I can remember some of those names..."

"Look." Kurogane interrupted. "So maybe you were put out here from a madhouse, or whatever. I don't care. I just need a place to stay for the night..."

Fai interrupted him in turn. "Of course you do, that's why I was waiting for you! You can stay here." Again he gestured behind him, and again Kurogane saw nothing. He gave the crazy blond a skeptical stare.

"Stay where? In the desert?"

This time Fai looked genuinely confused. "You can't see it." It was more of a statement than a question, and Kurogane wondered what kind of drugs he was on.

"Just what am I supposed to be seeing?"

Just then Kurogane's horse gave out, and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. Kurogane turned and knelt down beside her, checking her breathing and patting her neck soothingly. He looked back up at Fai.

"Hey. If you know a place around here, just tell me where it is. I've been walking for a long time, and I really don't want to kill my horse."

The blond stared at him for a full minute. Kurogane got the feeling that he was weighing up many things inside his head. Finally he spoke.

"You did see the light, didn't you?"

"Yes." Kurogane answered impatiently. "But I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"You'll see." Fai said quietly. He turned around and walked back to the tree, put his hand on the trunk and, somehow, _opened__a__door._ It wasn't a tree sized door, either, it was full, seven foot tall and four feet wide door. And then suddenly there wasn't a tree there at all, but a large building, which looked to be at least a hundred years ago. There were countless windows around the outside, white walls set against gold railings and window frames. Fai was suddenly 100 meters away from him, standing beside a set of magnificent

double doors, one open, one closed, now looking very much at home. He beckoned to Kurogane.

"Well come on then, stranger. We haven't got all night."

Kurogane hesitated. "What about my horse?" He called out.

Fai turned and called someone from inside the house. A young girl with short black hair came running out with a bucket of water. She went to sit by the horse's head, who drank gratefully. Fai called again.

"Yuzuriha will take care of your horse. Come on, stranger."

Kurogane, wondering if he was dreaming, made his way to the building's entrance where Fai stood waiting patiently. He stared up at the massive doors, almost half his own height again. The handles were polished bronze and the oak panels were lavishly decorated with trimming.

"What is this place?"

"A resting place for the weary." Fai answered cryptically. He turned and entered through the open door, and Kurogane followed him. They were in a long, tall corridor. From the ceiling hung chandeliers lit with candles that lit the dusky hallway and all the walls seemed to be made of oakwood, not something Kurogane had seen a lot of in buildings nowadays. He followed Fai to the end of the corridor. In the doorway stood a young woman. Her long dark hair curled down to her waist and she wore an old fashioned corseted dress with a long skirt. Fai smiled at her.

"Tomoyo, we have a new guest."

She turned a gentle smile towards Kurogane. "Good evening, stranger. Welcome."

Kurogane was by now fully convinced that he was either dreaming or mad, and figured there was no harm in talking to these strange people.

"Ahh.. Good evening. Can you tell me where I am?"

Her smile widened. "Did Fai not tell you? This is a place where you can rest."

"He did say that," Kurogane admitted, ignoring the fact that Fai was standing right beside him, "but normally trees don't turn into buildings. Not even buildings where you can rest."

"This is no ordinary building." Tomoyo might have said more, but she was cut off by sounding of a bell. It echoed through the halls, soft chiming audible to the ear, but Kurogane reflected that if he'd been asleep, he probably wouldn't have woken. It appeared to be some kind of signal, because both Fai and Tomoyo jolted into action. Fai swept him a bow, doffing his feathered hat to reveal golden hair.

"Good even' to you, Kurogane-san." His speech was suddenly formal as he turned to walk away, though not towards the door they had just come through, but forward into the mansion.

"Where are you going?" Kurogane called after him.

Fai stopped but didn't turn around. "I have business that must be taken care of." He left the room as soon as he'd finished speaking, and Kurogane was left alone with Tomoyo. She had taken a lighted candle from the wall and beckoned him to follow her. She showed him the way through various hallways and up two flights of stairs. They were crossing the landing when Kurogane heard it.

"_Welcome, stranger."_

He spun around, staring down the corridor from which the voice had come. "Who's there?"

"_Are you staying, stranger?"_

"_It's a lovely place. We like it here."_

Kurogane stared into the darkness of the unlit hallway, and called again. "Who's there?"

Tomoyo had halted in front of him, and now she came back to stand beside him, also staring down the corridor.

"What is it, sir? Did you hear something?"

"I heard voices." Kurogane told her. "Who are they?"

She listened carefully for a few moments, then shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't hear anything, sir. It was probably just the wind."

"It was not the wind." He said firmly. "I heard voices."

"Well, perhaps it was just one of the other guests. There are quite a few people staying here at the moment."

Kurogane hesitated, still listening for the voice again. Tomoyo turned and began to walk away. "Come, sir. It's late, and you must be tired. I will show you to your bed chamber."

He reluctantly followed her. "Don't call me sir. My name's Kurogane."

"Very well, Kurogane-san."

"You're Japanese?" He asked curiously.

"I was, once."

Kurogane had no time to ask why she used past tense, for they had by now arrived at his designated bedchamber. Tomoyo held the door open for him, gesturing for him to enter. As soon as he did she followed him in and closed the door. The room was large and comfortable, with a queen sized bed in the centre and a large glass window on one side. There were candles around the walls and on the small table beside the bed, and it was these that Tomoyo lit the candle she was carrying.

"If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ring." She gestured to the bell on the wall next to the bed. "Breakfast is served from seven until ten o clock in the morning down in the restaurant, but you can have it sent to your room if you'd like. Good night, Kurogane-san."

She was gone, closing the door behind her, before he could gather his thoughts to stop her, and ask her any one of the million questions swirling through his mind, the foremost of which was what the hell was going on.

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><p>When Kurogane awoke the next morning, he stared at the ceiling above him in considerable confusion. He'd been reasonably certain that when he woke up (not that he really remembered going to sleep the night before) everything would prove to be a dream. But the fact that he was in an unfamiliar room in an unfamiliar bed indicated otherwise. He pinched himself, just to make sure. Nothing changed.<p>

Kurogane got out of bed and walked to the window. Below him was a stone courtyard, where a few people were seated, some reading, others just talking. Kurogane blinked and looked again. He'd been sure that last night the window had been overlooking a garden. On the table beside his bed he found a set of folded clothes, which he recognised as his own. They had been in his saddle bags, and he supposed someone had brought them up. He must have been tired. It was shameful for a samurai to let anyone enter their room with waking.

He dressed himself quickly and splashed his face with water from the basin by the window. Then he opened his door and cautiously made his way out into the world of madness.

The place was impossible to navigate without Tomoyo, and Kurogane soon found himself lost. He had been trying to find some place for breakfast, but had somehow ended up in a room intended for card players. There was only one game in progress at the moment, two elderly couples who had no eyes for anything but the cards they held in their hands. There were no chips on the table, but after every hand they would make some imaginary exchange. Kurogane thought they were just pretending, but after trying and failing to gain their attention for a full ten minutes, he concluded that they were also mad and left the room. Outside he was very glad to see Fai coming towards him. The blonde seemed much less otherworldly in daylight, and his clothes were more normal as well - a simple t-shirt and jeans.

"Kurochan!" Fai greeted him happily, a wide smile on his face. "Good morning! How was your first night here?"

"Good, I guess - what did you just call me?"

"Kurochan!" Fai repeated, much too happily. "I told you I'd remember."

"Yeah, well forget it again." Kurogane told him, scowling. "Don't call me that."

"But why not?" He asked innocently. "I think it's cute."

Kurogane made to push past him. "Too bad."

Fai clutched at his arm. "Hold on, Kuro! Where are you off to?" He glanced at the door that Kurogane had emerged from and grinned. "I never figured you as a card player. Are you lost?"

Kurogane just glared at him. Fai took this as a yes, slipped his arm through Kurogane's and proceeded to lead him down the hallway.

"Don't you worry, Kurochan. I'll take you to your breakfast."

"Don't call me that!"

Fai led him to a restaurant. It was as old fashioned as the rest of the place, but Kurogane was just thankful to find something to eat. A young girl brought him a typical European breakfast of bacon and eggs, and Fai perched himself on the edge of the table while Kurogane ate. After the first pangs of hunger were assuaged, he remembered some questions to ask Fai.

"How is my horse?"

Fai smiled reassuringly. "She's fine. Yuzuriha took her to the stables. I'll take you to see her later, if you want."

Kurogane nodded gratefully. "Thank you. And who should I see to pay my bill? Who owns this place?"

Fai's smile faded this time, and he looked rather sombre. He did reply, however. "I'll take you to see her later, as well."

Kurogane was a little surprised to discover the owner was female, but made no comment.

There were other people sitting around them, some of them couples, others on their own. Kurogane noticed there seemed to be no families, no children.

"Are there many guests here?"

"Oh yes," Fai answered. "there's always plenty of room here."

"Do a lot of people decide to go tramping in the desert then?" asked Kurogane curiously. "It seems a strange thing to do. This place must be deserted in winter."

"The Mistress always has guests, no matter what time of year." Kurogane had finished his breakfast, and Fai slipped off the table. "I will take you to her now."

They walked side by side in silence as Fai, no longer smiling, led him up several stairways into a tower-like part of the mansion. Kurogane wondered if Fai was bipolar, or if he just really didn't like this Mistress. There had to be some explanation for the sudden mood swings.

They came finally to a large oak door, with the word "MISTRESS" carved into it in large, curling letters. Fai knocked, and a voice responded from inside.

"Come in."

The voice was female, and Kurogane almost shivered. It was laced with mocking amusement and tinged with insanity, and Kurogane felt as if he was stepping into a hornets' nest. Fai opened the door and Kurogane slowly followed him inside.

Yuko Ichihara was a tall, voluptuous woman. She had curves in all the right places, and wasn't afraid to show them off. She was reclining on a sofa, draped in various silk scarves, drinking something alcoholic and smoking a long, carved pipe. When Fai introduced her to Kurogane, she nodded regally.

"Thank you, Fai." She looked Kurogane over languidly, eventually raising her eyebrows in surprise. "You are a strange one, aren't you."

It was not a question, and she gave Fai a considering look. "I would not have picked you, Kurogane. You are not someone I thought I would see here."

Although she addressed Kurogane, she was staring directly at Fai, and he wondered if Fai had done something wrong. Fai had been surprised, he remembered, when he'd said he couldn't see whatever the blonde had been gesturing at.

Fai didn't reply, however, and just stared back at Yuko, smiling determinedly. She dropped her gaze after a few minutes and waved her hand in dismissal. "That will be all, Fai. I would like to speak to our new guest for a moment."

Fai bowed respectfully and exited the room. The door clicked softly behind him. Yuko turned her gaze back to Kurogane.

"So, young man, where are you from?"

"Japan." He answered shortly, wondering if she was going to subject him to an interrogation.

"And what are you doing in California?"

Apparently she was. "Looking for work."

"But you haven't found any."

"No. Look, I just want to pay my bill and be on my way. So if you could tell me how much I owe..."

"Leaving so soon?" Yuko did not seem surprised. "But think of your poor horse. I don't think she's in any condition to be traveling for a few days yet. Yuzuriha told me the poor beast had collapsed."

Kurogane scowled. "I don't want to be racking up any bills I can't afford, lady. My horse will..."

"Oh, don't worry about that!" She interrupted him, "I can assure you you'll be able to afford the bill. Where are you going to go, anyway? You said you haven't been able to find work. Take a few days off. Relax."

"I don't need to relax..." Kurogane tried to tell her, but she wasn't listening.

"How do you like this place?"

"The mansion?" Kurogane asked, and she nodded. "It's - okay I guess. It's old."

"I've owned it for a very long time." This time her smile was more wistful. It made her seem almost human, and inspired him to ask a question.

"You run this place by yourself?

"Well, I have staff, of course. You've met Fai, Tomoyo and Yuzuriha already. But I like owning the business. It gives me money." She gestured to the jewels sparkling at her neck. "All from Tiffany's. Aren't they gorgeous? I just love Tiffany's!"

"U-huh..." Kurogane wondered how long he had to stay here with this crazy woman. One moment she was cross examining him, the next she was gushing over her jewelry.

"You come from Japan, don't you? I think I have some sake somewhere. Won't you join me for a glass?" Yuko sat up on her sofa and placed her current glass on the table beside her.

"No thank you." Kurogane tried to remain polite. Not that he wouldn't mind a strong drink right now, but he was damned if he was going to drink with this maniac.

"Oh come on," she said, "I'm sure you could use a good strong drink." She tugged violently on the bell. "Watanuki! Watanuki!"

Then, as there was no response in the next ten seconds, she raised her voice. "WATANUKI!"

Moments later, a young man burst through the door, carrying a bottle of what looked like wine. His hair was rather disheveled and the glasses were askew on his face.

"WHAT, Yuko? How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not just waiting outside the door for you to want more wine! Would it kill you to have a little patience?"

"Ah, Watanuki, at last." The elegant woman seemed not to hear him. "I would like some sake."

"Well that's too bad." Watanuki told her crossly. "You drank the last of it yesterday."

"What? Then get some more!"

"WHERE DO YOU EXPECT ME TO..."

Kurogane took advantage of their distraction and managed to slip out the door without being seen. Pleased at getting away from them, he managed to find his way to the ground floor without too many mishaps. Once there, he wandered around for a while until he spotted Yuzuriha, who directed him to the stables. His mare was pleased to see him, and he spent several minutes just stroking her neck and checking her for signs of any permanent damage. He found none, and eventually left her, satisfied that she was in good hands. Kurogane began to walk around the stables, reasoning that there must be some door to the outside here, and then he would be able to see if the mansion actually did exist, or if everything he saw was actually inside a tree. But no matter how many times he walked around, no matter how carefully he examined the walls, he found no other exit from the stables. The stone walls seemed perfectly solid, and the only door was the one he'd come through. It didn't make any sense. Surely Yuzuriha had not led the horse through the building. He was still mulling over the problem when Fai found him.

"What are you doing, Kuro-thoughtful?"

"Stop calling me those stupid names, you idiot! That's not even Japanese."

"I know, but I can't remember any other Japanese ones, so I thought I'd make my own up." He came to stand next to Kurogane, leaning against a stall door. "What did Yuko want?"

Kurogane huffed. "She wanted to drink sake."

"But you escaped." Fai looked a little impressed. "You must be very determined."

"Hmmm." He watched the blonde out of the corner of his eye. Fai scuffed his foot against the stable floor and leaned his head back to gaze aimlessly at the ceiling.

"You don't like her, do you?"

Fai turned wide blue eyes towards him, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Yuko? No, I do like her. Yuko is very kind."

"You didn't seem very keen to visit her." Kurogane pointed out.

"But that doesn't mean I don't like her."

"But you admit you didn't want to visit her."

That startled him. Fai stared at him, a frown hovering on his face, about to speak but cutting himself off before he could begin. After a second he pulled himself together, trademark smile firmly back in place.

"You're being ridiculous, Kurochan. And I can't stay here and banter all day - I have a job to do."

"What job?"

"I'm the night watchman."

Once again he was gone too quickly for Kurogane to call him back, and the samurai was left alone again.

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><p>Kurogane spent the rest of the day exploring the mansion. He met many different guests, occasionally seeing the same one twice. The place seemed to be way too large even for his initial estimate, and he could have sworn that several staircases and doorways led to different places each time he went up or through them. The only person he spoke to was Tomoyo, who he encountered briefly on a stairway. She inquired after his health and wellbeing, he answered positively, and she went on her way.<p>

The more he explored, the stranger the place appeared. But the very strangest thing, the one thing he could not even begin to think of an explanation for, was why he could never see the sun. There were windows everywhere, but they always seemed to overlook a garden or courtyard within the mansion's walls. Nowhere could he find a window that looked outside. It was if the mansion was an ever repeating series of rooms, all joined impossibly to each other. Even when he went into the courtyards and gardens, where the was no roof, he could not see the sun. There was blue sky, but no sun. For a while he thought it must be the time of day, but as time wore on and the light began to fade into dusk, he could find no solution. Finally he gave up and wandered out a door and on to a veranda.

Kurogane stood on the balcony and looked out over the courtyard. Music was floating through the air. Some old, sad song was playing on the radio, but it was not one he recognised. Below him, he saw a young couple dancing to the melody. The girl was pretty in an innocent, childish kind of way, but as she danced her face was caught in a strange expression. It was somewhere between sadness and joy, and yet she tried to hold on to it as if she felt it could fly away from her and be gone forever. Her young man held her closely to him, his arms around her as if he would never let her go. His eyes glowed with fierce passion, but he too seemed sad. They danced together fluidly, never a step wrong, as if they'd been doing this forever. Kurogane wondered if they had.

"Beautiful, isn't it."

Kurogane hadn't heard Fai come up behind him, but he showed no surprise, just turned his head to look at the night watchman.

"Who are they?"

Fai leant on the railings beside him, crossing his arms and hugging himself tightly.

"Sakura and Syaoran. They were lovers, once."

"Once?" Kurogane raised an eyebrow skeptically. "They still look like lovers to me."

"Ah, but you see, Sakura doesn't remember him." Fai turned away from the dancing couple and stepped away from the balcony's edge, moving towards one of the tables set out for breakfasting guests and sitting down. Kurogane followed him. Fai poured the contents of the jug on the table into two glasses, offering one to Kurogane, who took the glass but didn't drink. Fai took a draught of his before continuing to speak.

"It was a few years ago now, that they came here. Sakura couldn't remember anything. I don't know what happened to give her amnesia, but she hasn't recovered from it at all. It broke Syaoran's heart, and he hasn't recovered either." He gestured over at the balcony, where Kurogane presumed the couple were still dancing.

"Why do they stay here? Why not take her to a doctor; someone who could help recover her memories?"

Fai smiled sadly. "They already have. The people who come here, Kurosama, don't have any options left."

Kurogane couldn't bring himself to get angry at the nicknames. Instead he looked back at the balcony.

"She can't remember him at all?"

"She realises, somewhere in the back of her mind, that Syaoran is important to her, but she can't recall why. This is the only way they can regain something of what they used to have. They dance to remember."

* * *

><p>That evening Kurogane ate his dinner alone in the restaurant's dining room. There were other people there, but he didn't want to talk to them, and they left him alone. As he sat there, digesting not only his food but also the day's events, he heard music playing in the ball room next door. Common sense told him to stay where he was, that he didn't need to get involved in any more of the strange things that happened here. But his curiosity won out in the end, and he got to his feet and crossed the room. Inside the ballroom a band was playing, and couples were floating around in each other's arms, their feet dancing gracefully over the marble floor.<p>

A thought struck him, and he looked around; sure enough, he soon spotted Syaoran and Sakura, seemingly lost to everything else, wrapped up in their own little world as they dance together.

He was surprised, however, when he caught sight of Fai, dancing with a tall, handsome young man. Fai's movements were smooth and flowing, but with just the slightest hint of desperation. He also seemed to be unaware of everything around him, even his dance partner. He might as well have been dancing by himself. Nevertheless, Kurogane felt a small spike of jealousy, although he hated to admit it. Besides, he barely knew the guy.

Fai, however, must have dragged himself out of his trance long enough to spot Kurogane watching, because he disengaged himself from his partner to make his way through the couples toward the samurai.

"Enjoying yourself, Kurochan?"

Kurogane glared at him. "It's Kurogane."

"Whatever." Fai dismissed such trivialities with a wave of his hand. "Won't you dance with me?"

"I don't dance."

"Come on. Just one dance." He took Kurogane's hands as he spoke, pulling him onto the dance floor, and Kurogane could not bring himself to refuse such a pleading gaze.

He put his right hand on Fai's waist, and clasped his left with Fai's right. They swayed gently back and forth for a while before he spoke.

"You dance like they do." Kurogane nodded towards Sakura and Syaoran. "Are you trying to remember something?"

Fai stared at him, blue eyes wide in surprise. For a moment Kurogane thought he wouldn't answer, but then the blond laughed and shook his head.

"I don't want to remember, Kurosama. I dance to forget."

They were interrupted then by Yuko, who coughed meaningfully behind them. Fai had torn himself from Kurogane's arms in an instant, given Yuko a hurried and rather flustered bow, and swept away, out of the ballroom.

Yuko smiled at Kurogane. He thought she looked like a hawk eyeing a rabbit.

"How are you doing, Kurogane? Getting along well with the staff I see." She raised a suggestive eyebrow and Kurogane flushed. He refused to take the bait, however.

"Where'd he go in such a hurry?"

"Fai is supposed to be working." Was the smooth reply. "His days are free, but after the sun sets he is the night watchman."

Yuko raised a languid hand, and instantly a waiter appeared by her side. "A bottle of wine, if you will, and two glasses."

She beckoned Kurogane to follow her and left the dance, gliding elegantly out into the dining room where Kurogane had been eating a little while before. She took a seat at one of the smaller tables and gestured for him to do the same. She lit a cigarette (no pipe this time, he noticed).

Another waiter appeared and set out glasses in front of them. He uncorked a bottle and poured out the red wine. Yuko sipped hers appreciatively, and after a moment Kurogane brought his glass to his lips. It was dark and pungent, and tasted a little like smoke.

"You are a strange one, Kurogane." Yuko spoke softly, blowing trails of smoke into the air. "We haven't had a spirit like yours here for a very long time."

Privately Kurogane thought it was a bit hypercritical to be calling him the strange one, but he didn't reply. They drank together in something resembling companionable silence until Kurogane got up, and began the tiresome process of finding his room among the myriad of passages and rooms.

* * *

><p>Kurogane sat bolt upright in his bed. He was breathing hard, and it took him a few minutes to calm the beating of his heart. He couldn't remember what had awoken him so suddenly, but presumed it must have been a dream. Silver light shone across his bed, and he realised the curtains were partly open. Kurogane frowned. He could have sworn he'd closed them before going to bed. He slipped out from under the covers and trod sleepily over to the window. Outside the moon shone down into yet another courtyard. Kurogane didn't think this was the same one that had been there last time he'd looked out of this window, but he was too tired to try to rationalize it at the moment. A bell chimed somewhere. Kurogane wondered if it had been this time last night that he'd arrived here. It felt like a lifetime ago.<p>

He pulled the curtains closed and prepared to go back to bed, when he heard a whisper from the room behind him.

"_Welcome, stranger."_

Kurogane spun around so fast he almost tripped over. His hand went for the hilt of his sword, only to remember that he'd left it by his bedside. He called out warily.

"Who's there?"

There was silence. Kurogane walked silently back to his bed, picked up his sword and unsheathed it. Then he crept carefully towards the closed bedroom door. He heard nothing, saw nothing, as he curled his fingers around the handle and gently twisted it. The door opened without a sound, revealing an empty corridor. Kurogane stared at it for a full five minutes with no result. He turned away in disgust, thinking he must be imagining things. The creepy place was getting on his nerves.

"_Welcome, stranger."_

"_Welcome welcome welcome stranger stranger stranger..."_

Kurogane stared down the empty corridor as a cacophony of voices reached out to him, cloying at his arms and trying to creep into his ears, then his mouth and nose.

"_Won't you stay with us, stranger? Won't you stay stay stay..."_

"_It's a lovely place... such a lovely place, lovely place."_

"_Won't you stay..?"_

"_Stay, stay stay..."_

Thoroughly unnerved, Kurogane shouted down the corridor. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

Then, thinking perhaps it was Fai playing a joke, he added, "If that's you, idiot, then get out here right now!"

But again there was silence. No one appeared, and the corridor stayed empty. Nor did the voices return, and after about ten minutes Kurogane went back to bed, promising himself revenge on Fai in the morning, if it had been him.

But Fai seemed completely confused when Kurogane questioned him about it over breakfast. This time the waitress had brought him sausages and hash browns, but Fai claimed to have already eaten. So he ate and Fai, unwilling to sit in a chair like a normal person, perched on the table.

"I don't know, Kurosama. I've never heard voices myself, and you said Tomoyo couldn't hear them either." He laughed. "They say it's the first sign of madness - hearing voices in your head."

"If anyone's mad here, it's not me." Kurogane shot back at him. "I've heard them twice now, both times after that bell tolls. What's it for, anyway?"

"The bell always tolls at midnight." Fai replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Which means what, precisely? What happens at midnight?"

"Nobody else can enter." He smiled at Kurogane's confusion. "You can only arrive here between sunset and midnight. The door closes at midnight."

"Oh." Kurogane thought about this for a moment. "So what do you do after midnight? If there's no door to watch?"

Fai laughed a little ruefully. "You're too curious for your own good, Kuro-inquisitive."

A bell rang somewhere in the mansion, and Fai stood up. "Sorry, Kuro, Yuko wants to see me. I'll see you later, perhaps."

Kurogane watched him go, blond hair dancing as he walked, wondering why so many people had so many secrets. Neither of them had mentioned the night before, and Kurogane wondered if Fai remembered it.

He had finished eating, and was just sitting there when he noticed the young couple at a table nearby. It was Syaoran and Sakura. They were eating breakfast in an awkward silence, neither comfortable enough to speak to the other. Kurogane observed them for a few minutes, before making up his mind. He stood up from his chair and made his way towards their table.

They looked up in surprise as he came over. They looked at each other, the young couple a little intimidated by his height, and Kurogane not sure of what to say.

"May I join you?" He said awkwardly after a while.

Sakura offered him a shy smile and Syaoran sprang to offer a chair. "Of course, sir. Please sit down."

"Did you enjoy the ball last night?" Kurogane asked, inwardly cursing himself for not thinking of something better to talk about as he took a seat. The other two seemed to appreciate the attempt at conversation, however, and enthusiastically agreed.

"You must be new here, mister." Sakura said hesitantly. "I haven't seen you before."

"I just arrived yesterday." Kurogane agreed. "How long have you been here?"

They seemed a little confused, and looked at each other. It was Syaoran who responded.

"I'm not really sure, sir. Quite a while, I think."

Kurogane was pleasantly surprised to discover that they were the most normal people in the entire mansion. They were both friendly and eager to please, and enjoyed talking to someone else. It was only when they were alone that they slipped back into their strange, depressed and languid trance. Kurogane talked to them for almost an hour. Syaoran had some interesting tales to tell, as he had traveled for many years with his father, who was an archaeologist. Sakura wanted to hear about Japan, and he told her that she was named after the cherry blossom tree. She seemed quite taken with this, and gave him a dazzling smile. When Kurogane rose to leave, he had only walked a few steps before Syaoran ran after him.

"I just wanted to thank you, sir. Sakura hasn't been this cheerful for a long time. She enjoyed talking to you very much."

"Don't worry about it, kid." Kurogane replied gruffly. "And don't call me sir. My name is Kurogane."

"Mr Kurogane, then." Syaoran gave him a respectful bow. "My name is Syaoran."

Kurogane had intended to return to his room, but once again he took the wrong turn and ended up in a familiar place. It was the hallway that led to the outside door, where he'd first entered this crazy place. But when he tried to find that door, it was no longer there. No matter how far he walked along the hallway, he always seemed to end up back where he'd started. Confused and frustrated, he tried walking the other way. This time he found the way he'd come from, and he had almost decided to go back and try to find his room again, when he spotted the other hallway. It led off to his right, and he was sure that this was the hallway Fai had gone up when the midnight bell had struck. He hesitated. Fai had not been willing to discuss the matter at all, and probably wouldn't appreciate Kurogane poking around. But then, there was no 'do not enter' sign, and it wasn't like he intended to break into Fai's bedroom or anything.

All the same, he was cautious as he moved softly up the stairs, his samurai skills allowing him to move silently, stepping on the nail heads to prevent the boards from creaking. It seemed to be an ordinary staircase, except that it went up and up, and there were no hallways or rooms that came off it. Kurogane had climbed at least three stories by the time it finally came to an end.

At the top of the stairs he found a large room. There was no door, which was an nice surprise. Kurogane entered under a a curved archway into a place that no more belonged in the mansion than the mansion belonged in the desert. The walls were some kind of sparkly blue, which seemed to move when he didn't look at it, and to sparkle calmly at him when he did. The ceiling was pitch black, so dark that he couldn't even see what it was made of, and he wondered if it was made of darkness itself. In the centre of the room was a large glass mirror, rectangular and about as tall as he was. There was a figure in the mirror, but he assumed it must be his own reflection until he got close enough to see who it really was. It was Fai, or at least it looked like him. Kurogane turned around, but he was alone in the room. As he watched, Fai's image in the mirror smiled and waved to him. The smile was sweet and gentle, and _real_, but Kurogane didn't have time to ponder the significance of that.

"What are you doing in here?"

Kurogane whirled to see Fai standing behind him, shocked and angry. His blue eyes were snapping with anger, and Kurogane could not help reflecting that he looked beautiful when animated.

"I didn't realise this place was off limits."

"So you just forced open a locked door and thought you weren't off limits?"

"What door? There is no door there!"

Fai stared at him as if he were insane. "No door? What do you mean, no door?" He was still angry, but Kurogane got the impression he was talking to someone else now. "How could you? No one else is allowed in here! Fai!"

"What?"

Kurogane was by now very confused. Why was the blonde talking to himself? Why did he have a mirror reflection of himself, and how did it stay there? Why was he talking about a locked door that clearly didn't exist?

"Fai..."

Fai had by now gotten himself under control. He was icily formal when he addressed Kurogane again.

"Mistress Yuko would like to see you, Mr Kurogane. If you'd follow me, please."

He was silent as they walked, ignoring all Kurogane's attempts to speak. He led the way to another part of a mansion, where he stopped outside a large door. He held it open for Kurogane, refusing to meet his eyes, and with a sigh the samurai stepped over the threshold. Fai closed the door behind him with a frosty snap.

Yuko stood in the middle of a large room. It was made of polished wood that gleamed in the light of the many lamps around the walls. She was gazing upwards, an unusually sad expression on her face, and after a moment Kurogane realised why. The ceiling was made of mirrors. There was a circle of small glass plates in the centre, which spiraled outwards into gradually larger pieces. Some of them were cracked, and one pane looked as if someone had thrown something heavy at it. But the most striking thing that Kurogane noticed, was the reflection of a man staring down at them.

He glanced around the room swiftly, but saw no one. When he looked up again, the man was still there. He had long black hair, a kind but tired face, and he wore reading glasses perched on the end of his nose. His clothes looked as if they had been made a hundred years ago, they were so outdated. Kurogane turned to Yuko in confusion. She was watching him from the other side of the room, her skewed trademark grin in place, but her eyes glinted with unshed tears.

"Who is he?"

"His name is Clow Reed." She replied. She did not elucidate any further, and Kurogane looked back up at the reflection.

"He looks... old."

The man in the mirror actually looked to be in his middle age, but Yuko understood what he meant.

"He died many years ago. What you see in the mirrors is only a lingering reflection of him."

She moved to a small table near her right hand, and uncorked the bottle of pink champaign sitting there. She poured it into a glass, which she offered to him. He shook his head and she shrugged, drinking it herself, and promptly pouring a new glass.

"Why is he still here? How can we see him in the mirrors?"

She laughed mockingly. "Come on, Kurogane. Haven't you figured out what this place is yet? What it does?"

He didn't answer, and she continued;

"It shows us what we desperately want, but can never have. It allows us glimpses of what is lost forever, so that we are trapped in between giving up and moving on. Nothing can ever be accomplished here, but the illusion lets us believe it doesn't matter, as long as we can remain here always. It is our own device that keeps us prisoner here." She drew a cigarette from her pocket and lit it. Smoke curled around her fingers and drifted lazily through the air. "Clow is my illusion. I like to think he's looking through from the other side, which is, of course, why he does."

Kurogane nodded slowly. That was something to think about. He walked into the centre of the room, looking up at the ceiling. He watched as his own reflection passed over Clow Reed's, blocking it out for a few seconds. Then he realised something.

"You don't have a reflection in the mirrors."

Yuko shook her head and breathed out a mouthful of smoke. Kurogane grimaced in disgust.

"The mirrors only show the living."

"Except for Reed?" Kurogane was confused.

"Except for Reed."

"But why.."

"Clow Reed was alive when he first looked into those mirrors."

* * *

><p>Kurogane sat in his room, thinking. It was evening, something he could tell only because the light had long since faded, and the candles were lit. A full moon shone through his window. Why could he see the moon, he thought, and never the sun?<p>

After speaking with Yuko, he had spent the afternoon with Sakura and Syaoran, who had found him in one of the courtyards and asked him if he would like to play cards with them. They hadn't done so before, they said, and wondered if he could teach them. With nothing better to do, he'd agreed, and the three had spent a pleasant few hours engaged in the complexities of blackjack and poker. It wasn't until they'd finished that he'd realised how much everyone else in the room was staring at them. They'd looked away hastily when he glared at them, and he'd turned to Syaoran for an explanation.

"Oh, well - nobody ever does anything new here." The boy had told him. "They always do the same things over and over again. We don't usually come into the card room."

"It was fun though," Sakura had piped up. "We should do it again sometime."

Now he was going over the day's events in his mind, trying to make sense of them. Yuko had said that the mansion trapped people by showing them an image of what they wanted more than anything. For Yuko that was Clow Reed; for Sakura and Syaoran it was the memory of their relationship. For Fai it was some kind of image of himself.

Kurogane thought about this for a moment. Why would a person see their reflection as their most important possession? Maybe Fai was a vampire, and had no other way to see himself. He didn't remember seeing Fai in any mirrors. Maybe he was just extremely vain.

After a moment he tossed out this thought. Fai did not strike him as the narcissistic type. He went over things again. The image had been alive, in some way - able to move on its own. Perhaps Fai was already dead, as Yuko claimed to be. Nothing made sense, and Kurogane was getting more and more frustrated with the whole affair. Besides, what was the mansion showing him? Shouldn't it be showing him the image of his parents or something?

And then something made sense. The mansion wasn't showing him his most precious possession because it wasn't lost forever. He'd accepted the deaths of his parents and moved on. He still had a life to live, and hopes and wishes to fulfill. He wasn't supposed to be here.

Of course. He wasn't supposed to be here.

Words and events were clicking into place. He hadn't been able to see the mansion from outside, because he was never meant to enter it. Fai wasn't supposed to have let him in. Yuko knew that. That was why she had said those things.

"_There hasn't been a spirit here like yours for a very long time..."_

Yuko had shown him the mirrored room for a reason, he was sure of it. His reflection had passed over Clow's, which must mean that he was more alive than Clow. And to be alive meant to be able to change things. What had Syaoran said? Nobody ever does anything different here. It's always the same things, over and over again. But Sakura and Syaoran asked him to play cards with them, something they never did. So things were changing after all. Maybe it was because he was here, when he wasn't supposed to be. Maybe Fai's room had wanted him to enter - maybe that was why there had been no door, even though Fai himself had been very angry.

A bell chimed in the distance. Midnight.

_Nothing ever changes here._

Kurogane was not surprised when he heard the voices this time. They would call to him every night, he supposed, after midnight, because he couldn't stay here, and they wanted him to. They were afraid of him, he realised, afraid of change, and they wanted him to lose the desire to change. But they had trapped themselves, because losing the desire to change would mean changing anyway, and while he was inside the mansion that couldn't happen. A paradox, he thought. That's what this is.

He was disturbed from his thoughts by a knock on the door. It was hesitant and urgent at the same time, and he crossed the room swiftly to open the door. It revealed Sakura and Syaoran standing outside. Sakura looked terrified, and she was clinging to Syaoran's arm.

"I'm sorry to disturb you sir - I mean Mr Kurogane - but it's happening again. It frightens Sakura so much... I hoped, maybe, we could stay with you until it's over...?"

"What scares her? What's going on?"

"It happens every full moon." Syaoran told him solemnly. "You'll hear them soon."

As he spoke, a high pitched wail echoed through the mansion. Kurogane could not tell where it had come from, but it made the hairs stand up on the back of his neck.

"What is that?"

"I don't know. I've never gone to find out. We've tried to ask Fai, but he always says it's nothing to worry about."

Kurogane thought for a moment, and came to a conclusion. "Do you know where it's coming from?"

"Somewhere near the kitchens, I think." Syaoran replied. "But Mr Kurogane, you probably shouldn't go down there. They won't like it."

"Too bad." Kurogane said grimly. "You two stay here. Bolt the door, and don't open it for anyone but me. I'll be back."

He strapped on his sword, left the young couple staring fearfully after him and set off to find the kitchens. The house seemed particularly determined to defeat him tonight, and no passage seemed to lead where it had the previous day. He persevered, however, and eventually found his way to the ground floor. The wails increased in frequency and volume as he approached, into a cacophony of howls. He couldn't tell if they held fear, anger, pain or all three.

He headed towards the dining room, figuring that the kitchens had to be somewhere nearby. He was surprised to find Yuko sitting there. She was smoking again; an almost empty bottle of drink at her right hand. She held the glass aimlessly, leaning her face into her right hand. She looked up as Kurogane approached.

"What's going on?"

Yuko didn't reply, but she gestured towards an open door on one side of the room. Maniac laughter was now intermixed with the wails and howls that emitted from it.

Kurogane looked down at the woman before him. He could sense that she had given up.

"You can't control it, can you? You're not really the mistress here."

"The mansion is its own Master." She replied. "Some times it needs to feed."

"There must be something you can do!"

She shrugged. A thought struck Kurogane.

"Where's Fai?"

Again she gestured to the open door. Kurogane did not look back at her as he passed through it.

Kurogane knew instantly that he was in the heart of the mansion itself. The very walls seemed alive, the floor seemed to hum as he walked over it. There was no light, and yet he could see clearly. The air seemed poisoned, so that it contained no oxygen. Kurogane found himself breathing faster, and tried to calm his heartbeat. The hallway was long, and the cries that reached him grew so loud they were almost deafening.

Finally he came to the end. There was a door in front of him, he knew, even though he couldn't see it, and light was shining from around the sides. It wasn't white light either, but light tinged with red blood, an evil haze of hatred.

The door opened as he reached, creaking from his fingertips even before he could touch its paneled frame. Kurogane stepped inside. The first thing he saw was the long table in the centre of the room. It was set as if for a feast, with empty golden plates and cutlery, though there was no food in sight. There were guests seated in the chairs - or at least some of the were seated. Others were standing; on the ground, on their chairs and on the table. All clutched large steel knives in their hands, and Kurogane could finally work out which sounds came from where.

A massive boar was screeching in pain and anger, dashing up and down the table. It lumbered and scrambled over crockery and in between guests, and then leapt to the floor only to run into more knife-wielding people, and jumped back onto the table. The howls of the fury came from the angry guests, who were trying and most often failing to stab the huge beast with their knives. Some succeeded, however, and blood was splashed on their faces, on their knives and on the boar's body. At the head of the table was a man with long dark hair. He was dressed in a regal fashion and wore a circlet around his head. A gentle smile rested on his lips as he watched the carnage unfold before him, and Kurogane wondered for a second if he could possibly be sane enough to reason with. But then he through back his head and laughed; a delighted, mad laugh that almost made Kurogane take a step backward. For an instant his eyes glinted with black insanity, and he seemed a demon, and then it was gone. He was the gentle being of before. But Kurogane was not going to be fooled again. He had not yet been noticed by the assembly, and he took the time to look around for Fai.

He spotted the blonde standing next to the wall, out of the way. His normally dancing eyes were dull and lifeless, and he stood as if a statue, staring unblinking at the scene before him. There was blood on his face and clothes - the boar's blood, Kurogane supposed, as he didn't appear to be injured. Just as he was wondering if he could reach Fai and get out again without being seen, the boar realised it had an escape route. It leapt from the table, and crockery came crashing down behind it, shattering on the floor. It ran straight at Kurogane, who drew his sword and set his stance to meet it.

But Fai was there before he could move, and the boar swerved away from him, barely avoiding colliding with the wall. The guests figured out what was going on and fell on the poor creature, hacking at it with their weapons. But no matter how many times they stabbed, they couldn't seem to kill it, and it staggered back to its feet and dashed away again. They followed it, screaming in anger at their inability to complete the endless chase. Kurogane watched them and realised that even when they looked straight at him, he couldn't see their faces. It was a chilling thought. But as the faceless creatures continued to attack the boar, the Master at the head of the table turned his attention to the stranger at the door. His face was as cold as death.

Kurogane thought about taking him on, but remembered that Fai was standing next to him, and the kids were upstairs alone and probably scared, and decided against it. He turned to the blonde, who was once again standing in his statue-like position against the wall.

"Hey, Fai!"

Fai made no response, and Kurogane supposed he couldn't hear over the din that everyone else was making. But the Master was rising from his chair, and Kurogane wanted to get out of there. He put his hand on Fai's shoulder, shouting next to his ear this time.

"Come on, you idiot! We have to get out of here!"

Fai shook him off and made to move away, but Kurogane had had enough. He grabbed Fai's wrist and dragged him out of the room, closing the door behind them. He searched vainly for a lock but found none. Fai jerked out of his grip, hissing angrily, and reached to open the door again. There were lights in the passage now, and Kurogane could see that his eyes were still dull and glazed over. There was obviously no point in trying to reason with him in this state, so Kurogane bent and caught him round the waist, throwing the blonde's thrashing form over his shoulder.

He ran down the corridor as fast as he could, considerably hampered by Fai's attempts to free himself. The mansion itself seemed to be trying to stop him, and the light flickered in and out of existence, as if trying to trick him. The hallway seemed much longer than before. Something seemed to leap out the ground by his feet and sent them both tumbling to the ground. He landed on top of Fai, although his head struck the ground. He lay there for a moment, letting his breathing slow as his lungs got some air back, feeling Fai's erratic heartbeat through his chest.

He rolled off and got to his feet, offering a hand to Fai who took it rather grudgingly. Kurogane was pleased to see that his eyes were back to normal now.

"Kurosama, what do you think you're doing? You can't just burst in there and kidnap me!"

"We're leaving."

"And what makes you think I want to leave?"

"Can you honestly, honestly, look me in the eyes and tell me you want to stay?"

Kurogane stared at him, red eyes almost glowing, and Fai could only meet his gaze for a moment. He struggled to speak, but no words came out. Kurogane turned away and started back down the passage towards the dining room. Fai hesitated, and then ran after him.

"Wait, Kurogane."

The sound of his full name was enough to stop the samurai in his tracks. He turned to see Fai watching him with painful intensity.

"I..."

He hesitated, unsure of what to say, and Kurogane waited patiently. There was no fake smile on his face now, but he wasn't angry either. His blue eyes stared at Kurogane pleadingly, as if they belonged to a drowning man begging for his life from the only one who could save him.

"I don't know what to do."

Fai's voice was soft and broken, and Kurogane realised suddenly that Fai was afraid. Afraid to leave the security of this never-changing world, not knowing what, if anything, would be waiting for him on the other side. Who knew how long he'd been here anyway?

Kurogane walked back to him until they were less than a foot apart. Fai didn't back away from him, just continued to stare up at him with those big blue eyes. Slowly, carefully, Kurogane slid both hands up either side of his face, his fingers hidden beneath silky blond hair. Fai brought one hand hesitantly up to touch his arm, and Kurogane leaned down and kissed him.

Fai gasped a little as their lips met, and his body was shaking. Kurogane wrapped one arm around his waist and drew him against his body. Fai relaxed into him and slipped both arms around his neck. The kiss was long but gentle, and when they separated Fai was staring at him in shock. The shock soon gave way to a brilliant smile, and he threw himself at the samurai, hugging him almost desperately. Kurogane hugged him back a little awkwardly.

After a few moments Fai released him, still grinning. Kurogane could not help but grin in return.

"Happy now?" Kurogane found his tone a little more affectionate than he would have liked, but he couldn't really bring himself to care.

"Very." Fai agreed.

"Then let's go." He turned and began to walk up the passageway again. Fai came up beside him, slipping his arm through Kurogane's. The samurai, never one for affectionate displays, would have shaken him off, but the blonde also leaned his head against a broad shoulder, and Kurogane couldn't bring himself to do it. They walked slowly for a while, the commotion behind them almost forgotten as they simply enjoyed each other's company, until Fai spoke up.

"Hey, Kuro-sweet?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are we going?"

"Out."

"Out of where?" Fai's voice sounded doubtful.

"This whole damned place, of course."

"But... Kurochan..." Fai stopped walking. "You can't."

"Can't what?"

"Can't leave. You can never leave. People have tried before - it's just not possible."

Kurogane frowned. He thought about Yuko, sitting at that table with her head in her hands, trying to drink away her sorrow. He thought about Sakura and Syaoran, hopefully still safe in his room. And he thought about Fai, and that horrible, blank expression on his face as he'd stood in that room, covered in blood. Kurogane glanced at his hands and grimaced a little. They were also stained with blood now, but that didn't really matter. He looked back up at Fai's anxious gaze.

"That doesn't matter. We're leaving. You must know a way - you were outside the house when I first saw you."

Fai shook his head. "That's not the same - I can't actually leave that way."

"Then Yuko will know a way." Kurogane said firmly. "And I'll beat it out of her if I have to."

Suddenly Fai gasped, and Kurogane turned to the sound of footsteps behind them. They looked at each other for a second, and then both started sprinting down the hallway. Fortunately by this time they had covered most of the ground and it was barely a minute before they burst out into the dining room. Yuko looked up, startled, as they shut the door. Kurogane immediately dragged a table over in front of it.

"That won't stop them, Kurogane." She said, and turned to look at her night watchman. "Fai...?"

Fai hung his head a little and wouldn't meet her eyes. Kurogane growled angrily.

"He's not staying here any longer, and neither am I. Now how do we get out of here?"

It seemed an age before she replied, and Kurogane kept glancing nervously towards the barricaded door, waiting for something to happen. It was Fai who spoke first, dawning realisation in his words.

"You've already decided..."

She looked at him sadly. "Yes, I have. I've let too many opportunities slip through my fingers already."

"What are you talking about?" Kurogane demanded angrily. "I want to know how to get out!"

"The same way you came in, of course."

"But Yuko.." Fai was surprised. "That won't work, will it?"

"It should be enough just to be outside." She responded. "This time, anyway. But you have to hurry. You don't have much time."

"Right." Kurogane started towards the staircase.

"Where are you going?" Fai called after him, a little panicked. "The door is this way."

"You go, and wait for me outside." He called back. "I have to get the kids."

"What kids?"

"Sakura and Syaoran."

He had only gotten halfway up the stairs before Fai was at his side again.

"I told you to go outside!"

Fai's voice and eyes were determined. "I"m coming with you."

Kurogane knew better than to waste time arguing, and he soon discovered that Fai knew exactly where he was going and which door to go through. It was by far and away the fastest that he'd ever gotten to his room before. When they reached it, he knocked urgently on the wooden door. Syaoran answered immediately, voice anxious.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Kurogane." He called back. "Come on out, it's alright."

The door opened slightly and Syaoran peeked cautiously around the edge. Having assured himself that it really was Kurogane, he opened the door fully and stepped out, closely followed by Sakura. She gasped and brought her hands to her mouth, horrified at the sight of Fai covered in blood. Even Syaoran took a step back in surprise. Fai was quick to comfort them.

"I'm sorry to scare you, kids. Don't worry, nobody's hurt."

Syaoran looked a little doubtful, but Sakura was relieved and Kurogane wasn't prepared to waste any time.

"We have to get going." He told them bluntly. "Is there anything you need to take with you?"

"Going?" The two asked in surprise.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked.

"Out." Was the short answer.

Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other. Of all the questions they obviously wanted to ask, one seemed to take precedence.

"How?"

"I'm not sure yet." Kurogane admitted. "But we are somehow, and Yuko said all we have to do is get outside, and Fai knows how to do that. So are you coming or not?"

They hesitated, but he could tell that both of them had already made up their minds.

"We're coming." Syaoran said.

"We can leave now," added Sakura. "we don't have anything to bring."

They headed downstairs again, following Fai through what seemed an endless maze of hallways, doors and staircases. Eventually Kurogane realised they were back in the first corridor; the one where he'd first entered this cursed mansion. Fai hesitated, looking up another set of stairs, and Kurogane remembered the strange mirror he'd found at the top. For a moment he wondered if Fai would be able to pull away from it, but then the blonde was moving again, leading them down what Kurogane had found to be a never-ending passageway that eternally repeated. They hadn't been walking very long when Fai stopped again, this time turning to face the wall beside them. He placed his hand on a section of the wall, and all of a sudden the door was there in front of them. Fai tried to turn the handle but it wouldn't budge.

"It doesn't want to open." He told them quietly. "It knows something is wrong."

Kurogane moved him gently out of the way.

"Let me try."

He tried to turn the handle, but the door was evidently locked. He examined the hinges, noting with satisfaction that they were old and rather worn. The lock was shiny and brand new - he knew which side he'd be trying to break down. He rammed it with his shoulder, feeling the hinges give under the pressure. He tried again, and this time Syaoran joined him. On the third try the hinges were wrenched out by their combined weight, and the door hung crookedly from the lock. Kurogane forced it back enough for him to climb through.

Outside it was dark, but his eyes, used to only the dim light of the lanterns, adjusted quickly enough. A sliver of a moon was hiding amongst the stars, and a cool desert breeze stirred up the dust on the ground. He turned back to the door behind him, pleased to see that it looked exactly the same as it had before; hanging drunkenly to one side. He pulled it towards him, opening enough room for Sakura to climb through. Syaoran followed, but Fai did not.

"Where is he?" Kurogane demanded of the other two. Both of them looked worried.

"He went back." Sakura told him, her voice so soft he could barely hear it. "He said he'd forgotten something."

"God dammit!" Kurogane exclaimed in frustration. "You two wait here. I'll be back in minute."

He squeezed through the broken door a second time, wondering if Fai had changed his mind. Perhaps the thought of that strange mirror had been too much for him. What right did he really have anyway, to drag the blonde away from his home, or at least the place he'd chosen to live in? He hesitated, and then stopped moving.

Something else was different. It took him a few moments to work out what it was, but when he did, his heart leapt in horror. The smell of smoke was wafting down the corridor; thick, strong and potentially fatal. Where was Fai?

He started down the hallway, but he'd barely got halfway to the door when Fai appeared there, leading - of things - Kurogane's horse. A sliver of guilt ran through him; he'd forgotten her. He held out his hand to Fai, who took it as he came level with Kurogane. They almost ran back towards the broken door, tendrils of smoke following them, stinging their eyes and soaking into their clothes. The horse's hooves clattered behind them.

Again Kurogane climbed out of the mansion, pulling the door back as far as he could as Fai attempted to lead the horse through the gap. She wasn't keen to push her way through the door, but neither did she want to stay in the smoke-filled house, and when Syaoran took hold of the bridle and helped Fai to pull, she struggled through. The four of them hurried away from the house, Fai still leading the frightened horse. Once they had reached what Kurogane deemed to be a safe distance from the mansion, they stopped and turned to see what had happened.

Flames were leaping from the roof and licking down the walls, a burning beacon in the cold, empty desert. As they watched, it seemed to flicker and the mansion wavered and contorted in on itself. It stretched and shrank and finally became the tree that Kurogane had seen when he'd first come this way, exhausted from walking across the desert all day. The tree continued to burn, limbs stretching to the sky as if screaming in agony. The four of them watched in solemn silence. Finally Syaoran spoke quietly.

"What happened?" The question was directed at Fai, and it was Fai who answered.

"Yuko." He said simply. "This was probably the only way we could ever leave."

"But why didn't she come with us?" Sakura asked in dismay.

"She couldn't." Fai told her. "Yuko can only ever exist inside."

"But she'll be okay though, right?"

As Fai tried to comfort Sakura, Kurogane and Syaoran stood watching them. Syaoran looked uncertain, and Kurogane waited patiently for him to speak. He didn't have to wait long.

"What are we going to do now?" He asked. "We don't have anywhere to go, Sakura and I. She'll never remember... what we had..." His voice broke at the end, and trailed off into silence.

"Then you can make new memories." Kurogane said, trying hard not to sound impatient. He couldn't believe they hadn't thought of this already. "You're both young - what's the use of holding onto a few memories and wasting your life away?"

Apparently this had never occurred to Syaoran. He stood there in surprise, considering this new idea, until they were interrupted.

"Let's get going, shall we?" Fai said. "I don't know about you guys, but I'd like to get as far away from here as possible."

"Right." Syaoran replied, his voice strong and sure. He lifted his head, a new determination in his eyes. Fai grinned and slipped a subtle wink to Kurogane, who flushed and glared at him.

"Come on, Sakura." Fai called to her. "You can ride the horse."

"Hey!" Kurogane yelled at him. "That's my horse!"

"Oh no," Sakura blushed shyly. "I can walk, I really don't mind."

"Nonsense." Fai told her, effectively ignoring them both. "A beautiful young lady like you shouldn't be walking down such a dusty road. Syaoran, would you give Sakura a leg up?"

"Of course." The young man came forward, clasping his hands and offering them to Sakura. After a moment's shy hesitation she placed her left foot in his up-turned palms and he lifted her up. She sat side-saddle, gripping the horse's mane for balance.

"Which way, Kurochan?"

"I thought I told you not to call me that." Kurogane grumbled half-heartedly. "That way." He gestured up the road towards the hills in the distance, at the foot of which he knew there was a small town.

Syaoran walked in front, holding the reins and leading the horse while Sakura perched delicately in the saddle. Fai and Kurogane hung back a little behind them.

"I cannot believe you remembered Sakura and Syaoran, but forgot your own horse." Fai teased.

Kurogane flushed guiltily. "There was a lot going on. I think I can be excused for forgetting something."

Fai was silent for a moment. "Where are we going now?"

"Somewhere we can sleep and get food." Kurogane replied. "After that - wherever you want."

Fai smiled, hearing the unspoken promise in his words. The blonde leaned his head against Kurogane's shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around Fai's waist. They walked that way into the desert, content just to be together.

* * *

><p><strong>So did anyone figure out which song it was? I'm going to write an epilogue for this later, so please leave a review and let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading :)<strong>


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